Feank w



(No Model.)

, F. W. WEATHERHEAD.

MAGAZINE FIRE ARM.

1%. 358,237. Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FRANK WV. WVEATHERHEAD, OF HARTFORD, CONN ASSIGNOR TO THE COLTS PATENT FIRE ARMS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,237, dated February 22,1887.

Application filed November 8, 1886. Serial No. 218,267. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. \VEATHER- HEAD, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Magazine Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the IO same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a sectional side view showing the parts in the closed position; Fig. 2, a sectional side view of so much of the arm as illustrates the locking-lever, slide, and hammer.

This invention relates to an improvementin that class of fire-arms which are loaded at the breech, and in which the breech-piece is actuated by means of a longitudinally-reeiprocat- 2o ing handle forward of the receiver, with a slide extending from the handle rearward into' the receiver, into connection with the operative mechanism of the arm, and whereby under such reciprocating movement of the handle the breech-piece is opened and closed; and the invention is an improvement upon the arm described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 285,020, granted to Wm. H. Elliot, dated September 18, 1883. In the said invention of Elliot a lever (called in the patent a feed-pawl) is arranged below the slide, which extends from the handle and hung upon a fulcrum, one arm extending forward and turned upward at its forward end, so as 3 5 to serve as a stop for the column of cartridges in the magazine, under certain circumstances, to prevent the column from moving rearward. The other arm extends rearward and is 0011- structed with a shoulder or hook to engage a shoulder orstud on the hammer when the hammer is thrown to full-cock. As described in the patent of Elliot, the slide and handle are free for movement without other obstruction than the natural friction of the parts, no de- 4 5 vice being provided to secure the handle in its extreme forward position-ihat is, when the breech-piece is closed. From the fact of this freedom of the handle there is liability to accidental rear movement of the handle, so as to unlock the breech-piece and permit its rear movement should the hammer stand in either the cooked or half-cocked position.

The object of my invention is to make a positive lock for the handle in its extreme forward position, and which consequently locks the breech-piece in its extreme closed position,and at the same time make the disengagement of the handle automatic as the hammer delivers its blow upon the firing-pin.

In Fig. 1 I show the magazine, barrel, and breech-piece and its locking mechanism, substantially the same as in the Elliot patent before referred to; but it is unnecessary to describe particularly this mechanism, as it constitutes no part of my invention.

A represents the handle, which is arranged beneath the barrel in the usual manner and properly guided, so as to be moved longitudinally backward and forward toward and from the receiver, and so that such a reciprocating movement may be imparted to the handle by the forward hand of the operator, as in the Elliot and other arms of this class.

From the handle a slide, B, extends rearward into the receiver, and so as to engage the breech-piece and its operative mechanism, that under the rear movement of the handle the breech-piece may be opened and under the forward movement the breechpiece may be closed.

C represents the hammer, hung in the receiver in rear of the breech -piece upon a pivot, a, and so that as the breech-piece is thrown to the rear the hammer will be thrown to its full-cock position and caught by the trigger, as seen in Fig. 2.

In the receiver and below the slide a lever, D, is hung upon afulcrum, b, one arm extending forward under the slide B. The other arm extends rearward. The lever is provided with a spring, E, the tendency of which is to raise the forward end of the lever. The lever at its forward end is constructed with an upwardly-projecting substantially rightangular shoulder, d, and upon the slide B is a corresponding shoulder, e, with which the said shoulder d on the lever may engage when the slide is in its extreme forward position, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1. The slide is constructed with a slot forward of the both by the trigger and by the lever.

shoulder 6, into which the forward end of the lever may rise as the slide is moved rearward, as seen in Fig. 2. The forward end of the lever is also constructed with an upward projection,f, which serves as the dog for the feed, as in the Elliot patent. The rear arm of the lever is constructed with a hook or shoulder, 9, upon its under side below the pivot of the hammer, and from the hook or shoulderg is a rear extension, h, of the lever. Upon the hammer below the pivot is a stud or shoulder, 'i, this stud or shoulder being beneath the rear extension, h, of the lever, and so that as the hammer is brought to full cock if the lever D be free, its spring will force it downward, to bring the shoulder or hook g into engage ment with. the shoulder or stud '6 on the hammer, as seen in Fig. 2, and thus hold the hanr mer in the full-cocked position, from which it cannot be released until the rear end of the lever is raised.

At the extreme rear end of the extension h is a downward'projection, l, which the stud i on the hammer will strike as it comes to its closed position, and consequently raise the rear end of the lever, as seen in Fig. 1, so that when the parts are in the closed position, as seen in Fig. 1, the rear end of the lever is turned upward, so as to take the shoulder d at the forward end of the lever out of engagement with the slide B, and thus leave the slide B and the handle free for forcible rear movement. In this condition the handle is held in its extreme forward position, as well as the breech-piece, by means of the force of the mainspring upon the hammer bearing against the rear end of the breech-piece.

Immediately as the rear movement of the breech-piece commences under the rear movement of the slide B, the hammer commences its rear movement and the shoulder z passes from the downward projection Z, and thus permits the rear end of the lever to drop and the forward end to rise; and this condition will continue until the hammer reaches the fullcocked position, as seen in Fig. 2,when it will be caught by the shoulder g, and there held On the closing of the breech-piece and return of the slide B, as the slide B approaches its extreme forward movement it strikes the back of the shoulder d, which is inclined, as shown, and acts as a cam thereon to force the forward end of the lever downward, so that the shoulder e of the slide may pass forward of the shoulder d on the lever to the position seen in Fig. 1, the lever yielding for this purpose; but as soon as the extreme forward position of the slide is reached, then the lever is forced upward by its spring to bring the shoulder 01 of the lever to the rear of the shoulder e of the slide, and thus produce a positive locking of the slide in its extreme forward position, and consequently a locking of the breech-piece in its closed position. This movement of the lever in the closing action of the breech-piece raises the rear end of the lever so high that sion h and raises the rear end of the lever, as

seen in Fig.1, thus depressing the forward end of the lever, so as to take the shoulder (I out of engagement with the shoulder c, and this disengagement will remain so long as the hammer stands in its extreme closed position; but ifthe hammer be turned rearward by hand, so as to bring it to either the half or full cock notch, then the stud 1' passes forward from the projection 1, so as to leave the rear end of the lever free to fall, and under the action of the lever-spring the forward end of the lever will be thrown up to bring the shoulders (I and 6 again into engagement and reloek the breech-piecein its closed position; but if while the hammer is in its extremeforward position the handle be moved rearward to start the breech-piece, and consequently the hammer, thelever D will be left free from the hammer directly as the shoulder a of the slide passes to the rear of the shoulder d on the lever, and ready to engage the slide when it shall again be brought to its extreme forward position.

It will be understood by those skilled in the construction of fire-arms that the lever, with its locking devices, may be employed in single breech-loaders, in which case the nose f of the lever will be omitted, there being nouse for this part F,excepting as a stop for the magazine.

Because the shoulder or stud on the hammer cannot engage the projection Z on thelever until after the hammer has passed forward beyond the half-cock notch, it follows that the slide and handle will not be, unlocked until after the hammer is in such position that it necessarily must be brought to a bearing against the firing-pin, and so as to support the breech-piece and the parts of the arm in a closed position under the force of the mainspring, and the locking of the slide by the lever must therefore occur before the hammer has been turned rearward to the half -eock notch.

I am aware that the lever D,in the same relation to the slide and hammer, and having a device at the forward end to make engagement with the slide and with the rear extension beyond the hook, is the subject of the application of another, filed in even date herewith; and I make no claim, broadly, to this construction of the lever, the essential feature of my invention being the downward projection I at the rear end of the rear extension of the lever anda positivelocking-shoulder on the forward end of the lever, whereby positive locking of the parts in the closed position is permissible,

and such locking automatically disengaged as the hammer reaches its extreme forward position; but by the term downward projection Z I wish to be understood as including any projection on the extension of the lever which will stand in the path of a corresponding projection or shoulder on the hammer as the hammer approaches its extreme closing movement. v

I claim In a fire-arm in which the barrel opens into the receiver at the rear, and in which the breech-piece is arranged in rear of the barrel, with the hammer hung in the receiver in rear of the breech-piece, and in which the breechpiece is operated by a longitudinally-reciprocatinghandle forward of the receiver, and with a slide extending from said handle into engagement with the operative mechanism of the breech-piece, whereby the opening and closing movement of the breech-piece is produced through said handle, the combination therewith of a lever, D, hung upon a fulcrum in the receiver below the said slide, one arm of said lever extending forward beneath said slide and at its forward end constructed with asubstantially right-angular shoulder, d, the said slide constructed with a corresponding shculder, 6, with which the said shoulder 11 on the lever may engage, the other arm of said lever extending to the rear, constructed with a hook or shoulder, g, with an extension therefrom rearward, the rear end of said extension constructed with a downward projection, Z, the hammer constructed with a stud or shoulder, 1 arranged to work beneath the said rear extension of the lever and adapted to be engaged by said shoulder y when in its full-cocked position, the said projection Zon the lever standing in the path of the stud 2' on the hammer as it delivers its blow, substantially as described, and whereby as the hammer so delivers its blow the said stud i will raise the rear end of said lever and unlock the slide.

FRANK \V. WEATHERHEAD. \Vitnesses:

FRANKLIN F. KNoUs, CARL J. EHBETS. 

